Lily Kholar's blog : Does Streaming Eclipse Theatrical for Audiences?
In the last few years, the exhibition industry has been proclaimed ‘dead’ and returned to life so many times it could count as a medical miracle. But few of the many opinion pieces and bold proclamations we’ve seen ask the most important demographic of all for their opinion- the audiences. With the recent release of a report from UTA IQ, however, we finally have something more concrete to work with- and the answer is, audiences still love theatrical releases. Blake & Wang P.A entertainment attorney, Brandon Blake, unpacks the findings.
Still Tops for Marketing and Appeal
The study, entitled “The Symbiotic Future of Theatrical & Streaming”, makes two things clear:
● Theatrically released titles still have a vast advantage in awareness and brand-building over original movies shown purely for streaming audiences
● The majority (think two-thirds) of moviegoers don’t care what a film’s release window to streaming is, they will still opt for a theatrical showing if the film interests them
Overall, the report shows a ton of validation for the theatrical release model, even in a streaming world. 75% of people surveyed couldn’t even name the last streaming original movie they watched- or, more interestingly, confused the question with a theatrically released film they watched at home, again showing what a solid theatrical run, no matter how short, can do for marketing efforts.Glass Onion:A Knives Out Mystery, despite a single week in theaters, featured heavily.
The Future of Theaters
So far, so good for the long-term viability of the exhibition industry. Encouragingly, three-quarters of respondents wanted to increase their movie attendance this year, and only 28% felt that home-based movie access gave them enough films at home to reduce their theater attendance. Bear in mind this is at a moment in time where overall theatrical releases are lower than we’ve seen in decades, and over double the amount of streaming originals were released in the same period.
What is keeping people away? From those respondents who haven’t returned to their pre-pandemic cinema outings, the key concerns were not content, but pricing concerns and worries over health and safety. Interestingly- and most definitely worthy of consideration- there were a number of complaints that the horror genre, which has been rather over-represented in recent theatrical releases, is crowding out other desired releases.
So the net takeaway? There’s nothing wrong with cinemas that can’t be fixed with some care and attention to cleanliness and safety, and a better theatrical slate. Audiences are clearly still very keen on attending theater releases, even for films that move swiftly to streaming options. They want great originals with powerful characters in immersive screen experiences, variety alongside franchise options, and well-constructed sequels that are ‘worth’ the watch and the addition to canon, not just mindless IP expansion.
So to all the exhibition naysayers- sorry. It’s not them. It’s you. Among actual audiences, there’s little feeling that cinema is a ‘dead’ or ‘dying’ industry. They want more, in both volume and variety. Not less, and (as industry-focused research has also proven), seeing the theatrical exhibition industry and the streaming industry as logical companions on the road, instead of direct competitors, is the best way forward for everyone.
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